Atlanter

Atlanter washed over Norway like a monster wave in 2013. Their debut album, Vidde, became a favourite among both record buyers and critics, with its beautiful and natural mix of African desert blues, American delta blues and German “motorik” from the 70s. “Vidde blues” was a new and self-made term at that time - a term that summed up the quartet’s wish of uniting music from several corners of the world in “norwegianized” and timeless attire. They fully succeeded. “Atlanter are a straightforward pleasure”, the NME wrote about their debut album. With a Norwegian «Grammy» nomination and several high positions in some critics’ summaries of the music year 2013, we’re allowed to have high expectations. The Atlanter wave is here again. «Jewels of Crime» is both a natural sequel and a long step forward for the quartet. An album that Atlanter have spent three long years recording, but that really has provided musical gems. Arild Hammerø (guitar, vocal), Jens J Carelius Krogsveen (guitar, vocal), Jonas Barsten (drums) and Morten Kvam (bass) have all the time kept and developed their astounding knack for improvisation, their joy of playing and their intuitive musical understanding, which also in a live setting is central to the band’s sound. They’re proving on «Jewels of Crime» that they also master the art of songwriting completely. About the band: Jens Carelius has made a name for himself on the Norwegian music scene with the releases The First Songs (2008), The Beat Of The Travel (2009) and The Architect (2011). He has received brilliant reviews for all albums, especially the recent two, with mostly 5 and 6 out of 6 in most Norwegian newspapers. The Beat Of The Travel also made it onto Norwegian daily Dagbladet’s top 10 list of 2009’s best albums. Jens Carelius has sold a great number of albums, and was also the opening act on the largest stage at the Øya festival in 2011. Arild Hammerø released his debut album Dagen Som Gryr in 2008, which was well received by the Norwegian press. “Arild Hammerø is a folk singer who protects the heart-warming legacy of folk singers Lillebjørn Nilsen and Stein Ove Berg. Sensitive, lyrical and likeable”, wrote Norwegian newspaper Vårt Land. The album Flåte by Hammer & Hersk (Arild Hammerø and Daniel Herskedal) was released in 2012 and received good reviews. Hammerø and Carelius have previously been in the band Blues Run The Game together, along with Siri Nilsen. Arild is also a regular on guitar in the electronica duo Ost & Kjex, and participates on the album Cajun Lunch. Jonas Barsten Johnsen is a young percussionist with a Masters degree from the Norwegian Academy of Music. He is/has been collaborating with amongst others: Frøy Aagre, Bendik Hofseth, Bendik Baksaas, Disaster in the Universe, Eivind Aarset, CCTV, Adam Rudolph and Bjørn Charles Dreyer. He is also a part of the improv scene in Oslo with a focus on electronics, percussion and dance. He has played more than 100 gigs each of the last 3 years, including the most central festivals in Norway. Morten Kvam has played the string bass/electric bass and been an active musician in Bergen and Oslo within different genres such as jazz, rock, pop, improvisation and folk music. He has collaborated with musicians such as Siri Nilsen, Terje Isungset, Per Jørgensen, Olav Dahle, Walter Thompson (US), Kevin Dean (CAN), Arild Hammerø, klezmer band Ot Azoi, Bugge Wesseltoft, Borge & Kvam, Polkabjørn and Kleine Heine, Push and Ine Hoem. He has also contributed on all Jens Carelius’ records and Arild Hammerø’s debut album. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.